Open Government

"Government accountability means that public officials — elected and un-elected — have an obligation to explain their decisions and actions to the citizens. Government accountability is achieved through the use of a variety of mechanisms — political, legal and administrative — designed to prevent corruption and ensure that public officials remain answerable and accessible to the people they serve. In the absence of such mechanisms, corruption may thrive."

— U.S. Department of State

The Washington Public Records Act is one of the strongest open government laws in the nation and reflects the desire of

The Office of the Attorney General provides an Ombuds function that works with other assistant attorneys general as they advise their clients and coordinates with and offers training to local government on open government issues.

The Attorney General’s Open Government Resource Manual was produced by the Attorney General’s Office with the assistance of attorneys representing media and requesters, and local and state government organizations. The manual is a comprehensive, easy-to-read overview intended to help clarify provisions of the law and may prevent future disagreements. This manual provides a general summary and is not intended to provide a complete discussion of every detail of the Public Records Act or Open Public Meetings Act.

The model rules, designed to reduce litigation and assist smaller local governments and citizen requestors by allowing them to avoid “re-inventing the wheel” on recurring issues, have been adopted and published in the Washington Administrative Code.

The Legislature directed the Attorney General to adopt advisory model rules on topics including “Fulfilling requests for electronic records.” The model rules are non-binding best practices to assist records requestors and agencies. On June 15, 2007, the Attorney General’s Office adopted the model rules for electronic records.